If you've never been the victim of a computer virus, you may think that all of the uproar over these nasty little programs is making much ado out of nothing. You may even be thinking that computer security experts and anti-virus companies are using scare tactics to sell anti-virus software. After all, the bigger the problem, the more software people buy. Today, the anti-virus business is worth several billion dollars and it shows no sign of slowing down.
So, with all of this money at risk, you are certainly justified in wondering whether computer viruses really are as big a problem as the industry says they are.
In computer security technology circles, the definition of a computer virus is a "self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other executable code or documents". A computer virus behaves in a manner similar to a biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into living cells.
Extending the analogy, the insertion of a computer virus into a program is termed as an "infection" and the infected file (or executable code that is not part of a file) is called a "host". Viruses are one of several types of malicious software, also known as "malware". The term "virus" is often extended to refer to worms, Trojan horses and other sorts of malware. These are less common than they used to be, however, so the inclusion of these types of malware can be confusing to computer users. This confusion can have serious implications, as it can lead to a focus on preventing one genre of malware over another, potentially leaving computers vulnerable to future damage. The basic rule holds that computer viruses can only damage software, not hardware.
If you can say yes, you are much less a risk than people that don't have antivirus software. If you say no, than it is only a matter of time until you find out about viruses personally.
Computer manufacturers and software engineers began the public war against computer viruses around 1990. Corporations began to respond to growing public concern and the number of anti-virus products began to rise. The threat of computer viruses was finally taken seriously. McAfee, IBM, Digital Dispatch and Iris all introduced their anti-virus products and software in 1990. Despite their efforts, computer viruses grew faster, stronger and sneakier. Symantec Norton anti-virus was introduced was introduced in 1991.
So, with all of this money at risk, you are certainly justified in wondering whether computer viruses really are as big a problem as the industry says they are.
In computer security technology circles, the definition of a computer virus is a "self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other executable code or documents". A computer virus behaves in a manner similar to a biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into living cells.
Extending the analogy, the insertion of a computer virus into a program is termed as an "infection" and the infected file (or executable code that is not part of a file) is called a "host". Viruses are one of several types of malicious software, also known as "malware". The term "virus" is often extended to refer to worms, Trojan horses and other sorts of malware. These are less common than they used to be, however, so the inclusion of these types of malware can be confusing to computer users. This confusion can have serious implications, as it can lead to a focus on preventing one genre of malware over another, potentially leaving computers vulnerable to future damage. The basic rule holds that computer viruses can only damage software, not hardware.
If you can say yes, you are much less a risk than people that don't have antivirus software. If you say no, than it is only a matter of time until you find out about viruses personally.
Computer manufacturers and software engineers began the public war against computer viruses around 1990. Corporations began to respond to growing public concern and the number of anti-virus products began to rise. The threat of computer viruses was finally taken seriously. McAfee, IBM, Digital Dispatch and Iris all introduced their anti-virus products and software in 1990. Despite their efforts, computer viruses grew faster, stronger and sneakier. Symantec Norton anti-virus was introduced was introduced in 1991.
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